Distantly related to The Devil Wears Prada, the enchanting comedy Late Night that wowed audiences at this year’s Sundance will close the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. After a glittering career of twenty-five years, charismatic but jaded queen of late-night talk shows Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) discovers her viewing figures are rapidly spiralling. But then spontaneous Molly turns up looking for a job. Might she be the desirable female element lacking in Katherine’s team of egocentric alpha males and frustrated oddballs?

Actress Patricia Clarkson will be present at the festival’s closing ceremony to personally accept a Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema. Clarkson has worked with many renowned film directors such as Lars von Trier (Dogville, 2003), Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2008), and Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island, 2010). Her extensive filmography, in which she has played dozens of very different characters, is evidence of her ability and willingness to work with a variety of genres. Recent examples of this diversity include the romantic drama October Gale (2014), the scifi action trilogy The Maze Runner (2014–2018), the drama The Bookshop (2017), the comedy The Party (2017), for which she won a British Independent Film Award, and the mysterious drama Out of Blue (2018).

At the Festival, Patricia Clarkson will present the film Learning to Drive, directed by Isabel Coixet.

Festival President’s Award honoree and Academy Award winner, Casey Affleck returns to Karlovy Vary IFF to introduce his film Light of My Life which he directed, wrote, produced, and stars in opposite newcomer Anna Pniowsky.